The Wildlife Photography Thread

My uncle and his wife report hearing the song of the 'yote in Vermont. They live in dairy country south of Burlingame. I never really thought much about coyote on the east coast, but they are quite adaptable.
 
I finally got a few reasonable shots of my nemesis bird, the Northern Harrier male (Circus cyaneus). Here's the gray ghost...

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What a beautiful bird,Steve.
We see them around our wetland areas but never close enough to get a good picture.

During the spring we like to watch the Red Shouldered Hawk's in there nesting trees.
They usually nest close to our roads here in our subdivision,so it's easy to watch them.And fun.
Thanks for sharing.
Frank
 
Casa Escarlata Robles Too said:
What a beautiful bird,Steve.
We see them around our wetland areas but never close enough to get a good picture.

During the spring we like to watch the Red Shouldered Hawk's in there nesting trees.
They usually nest close to our roads here in our subdivision,so it's easy to watch them.And fun.
Thanks for sharing.
Frank
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Frank, thanks for the kind words! I need to get down your way, the red-shouldered hawks are pretty rare up here.
 
Very well done, Mr. Sage. I like to see the light phase also. On our last trip over to the Dunderburg area we were teased by a dark harrier who would fly just out of range and land on the ground. Just could not get a good photo. This was repeated over and over again. I should just come up and visit Oregon and learn from the pro.
 
Those harriers seem to swoop and swerve all just above the ground. Very tough to get a shot.
Their owl-like faces are always interesting to us.

These are excellent BIF photos with some long glass. Are you shooting handheld or with support?
 
Wandering Sagebrush said:
Frank, thanks for the kind words! I need to get down your way, the red-shouldered hawks are pretty rare up here.
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Steve we have a great birding area.
Lots of wetlands and the shore birds.
Down the coast a few miles at Big Sur you can have the chance to see condors up close and personal.
Sometimes they are right near the side of the road.
Also there is a group at the Pinnacles NP.
Drop down sometime.
Frank
 

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Andy, I am usually in the truck, using a beanbag when I can, but the BIF shots are often handheld.

Frank, I'd love to see condors in the wild. Definitely need to head your way.
 
Charlie, we are pretty close in equipment. I am shooting the D4s and a D800 as my goto cameras. My primary wildlife lens is a Nikkor 500/4 VR1. I've got a modified version of the Holy Trinity (Tokina at the wide end), and a couple of PC E lenses for landscape. Plus a few AI S lenses from the old days.

I sold a VR 1 version of the 200-400 a while back, and am now missing having something a bit smaller than the 500. I'm leaning towards a Nikkor 300/2.8, but might bite the bullet and go for the 400/2.8. I am finding that there are times when the subject is too close to the lens, and I would like a couple more stops of light.

This guy is about 15 feet out, and it's pretty much the entire frame. I did crop a tiny bit, but I would have liked to had the entire gray squirrel in the frame. Maybe I should drag out the 70-200...

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Out of curiosity, what are you using for wildlife?

I visited your website. Nice work!!!
 
Nice shot.

I have a 200-400 VR II that I use mostly for wildlife with the D4s. I had a D3s and switched to a pair of D800E's but found I wanted better high ISO so got the D4s. I should probably sell one of my D800E's.

In much of the Smokies the animals are pretty tame and 200-400 is about right. I rent a 600 (and maybe an 800 next time) when I go to Yellowstone for wolves and bears and the Hiwassee NWR in TN for sandhills.

I have the three kings, 17-35, 24-70 and 70-200, and also 16mm fisheye, 105mm micro and 28-300 which is a surprisingly good lens. I've also got 1.4, 1.7 and 2.0 TC's. I use the 1.4 the most. I've thought about the 14-24 but the 17-35 is a great lens and built like a tank.

Thanks for the compliment.
 
Charlie, the 200-400 is a great lens for close subjects, but I found my VR 1 copy pretty soft when anything was at distance. If it was sharp through the range, I would have kept it. I do occasionally shoot with a TC (1.4 II), but in general find they give me too soft an image. I am tempted to sell that one and pick up the new version. If I had it to do over again, I would probably go for the 17-35. I really like the Tokina, but with the build in lens hood, it makes filter use difficult.

Maybe we should see about a 'rally' at Yellowstone one of these days...
 
You Nikon shooters have you considered the new version of the 80-400VR. Great reviews I have seen. I'm a Canon shooter or I would have one.

BTW, nice images............

I'll be in Yellowstone in January. Might be too cold then, Ted likes to go in the summer.... Oh Ted??????
 
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